上 shàng — above, upper, on top of; to go up, to get on, to attend; last, previous (上个月)
shàng (fourth tone, falling)
above, upper, on top of; to go up, to get on, to attend; last, previous (上个月)
3 strokesRadical 一Frequency #15
Pinyin
- shàng (fourth tone, falling)
above, upper, on top of; to go up, to get on, to attend; last, previous (上个月)
Mnemonic
Not a picture but a sign: a long baseline with a stroke standing above it — whatever is up there. Turn the sign over and you have 下. Because "up" is also "on", the same character gets you onto a bus, 上车, and into a class, 上课; and because what is above comes first, 上个星期 is last week.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.
Words containing 上
- 上shàng (fourth tone, falling)on, on top of, above
- 晚上wǎnshang (third tone, dipping)evening, night
- 早上zǎoshang (third tone, dipping)early morning
- 马上馬上mǎshàng (third tone, dipping)at once, right away, immediately
- 上午shàngwǔ (fourth tone, falling)morning (before noon)
- 上班shàngbān (fourth tone, falling)to go to work, to be at work
- 上网上網shàngwǎng (fourth tone, falling)to go online, to use the internet